Movement Toward Equality on Two Catholic Campuses

Some movement occurred this week on getting gay-straight alliances recognized on two of the nation’s premier Catholic campuses: University of Notre Dame (UND) and Catholic University of America (CUA).

At UND in South Bend, Indiana, the campus administration announced that it would postpone a decision about official recognition for AllianceND until the fall semester. According to an article in the student newspaper, The Observer :

“Director of Student Activities for Programming Peggy Hnatusko sent an email to the co-presidents of AllianceND, the gay-straight alliance that applied for club status, notifying them of the deferral.

“ ‘The University intends to review the breadth of structures and services currently provided to LGBTQ students and their allies by the University in the hopes of making the best decisions possible to support our students and the University community, all within the context of Catholic teaching,’ she stated in the email. ‘I will review AllianceND’s application in the course of those discussions.’

“In her 15 years as director, Hnatusko said this is the first year she has deferred a decision about a club’s status.

“ ‘I just wanted a little bit more time to look at the proposal, look at what the University offered,’ she said. ‘There has been a lot going on and I wanted to give everyone the fairest chance possible.’ “

Bondings 2.0 was able to get reaction to the deferral decision from Alex Coccia, a UND sophomore who is a co-president of AllianceND:

“I am encouraged because the dialogue surrounding the GSA and inclusion generally has become much more honest and open. The commitment to a broader examination, I believe, reflects the student voices that have been expressed in the last week and over the whole semester. All of the students must be very proud of the work that they have done.

“We have begun to collect personal testimonials that are reflections on personal experiences as well as reactions about the events of the past week. We hope that this collection of testimonials, as well as the voices that have been expressed in the last week, will be the guiding influences for the ultimate decision regarding the GSA. We also encourage that students start the conversation in their own hometowns with friends and alumni/ae.

“In the past two days, faculty and alumni have written in support, and over 2000 students have signed a commitment statement to inclusion.

“Students will certainly be involved in the conversation directly with Student Activities when the fall semester begins and throughout the summer. “

On CUA’s campus in Washington, DC, the campus community has been celebrating the school’s 125th anniversary. Two leaders from CUAllies, the gay-straight alliance seeking official recognition, took the occasion to publicly reflect in the student newspaper on the campus’ approach to LGBT issues.

“At present, this campus does not present a safe, welcoming, and affirming environment for LGBTQ students and their allies. There is hostility de jure in the policies (or lack thereof) of the University and de facto in the opinions and actions of many at this University concerning gay and lesbian community members.

“Now, members are seeking to change that in the finest of the Catholic tradition that celebrates dignity and justice. CUAllies, the unofficial LGBTQ/Ally student organization, has a proposal for official recognition in the Office of Campus Activities that has gone unanswered for months now.

“We must look forward as a University to the type of community we wish to establish for the future. In the tradition of Jesus’ table ministry, we must invite all members of The Catholic University of America community who wish to join the conversation and respond effectively.

“To quote a submission CUAllies received from a student on campus: ‘Love, simply love; above all else, love. That is what Christ instructed us to do…I cannot consciously tell someone that they have no place in the Church and have nothing to contribute to the community. If CUAllies were to be rejected as an organization, the University would essentially be doing just that. They would refuse to recognize a group of persons, with inherent dignity, to formally assemble as an organization and therefore effectively conclude that these people have nothing to contribute to the CUA community as an organization.’

“Reading the signs of our times, cognizant of the historical moment in which we participate in the University’s life, we now echo the voices of hundreds in calling for the recognition of CUAllies, by the administration.

“If we are to go forward in improving CUA, we must ensure that the community represents and values each person, according to his or her divinely granted dignity.”

The faith and persistence of these Catholic students on both campuses offers bright hope for the future of the acceptance of LGBT issues within Catholic institutions.

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6 Responses to Movement Toward Equality on Two Catholic Campuses

I hope that you are right. In the tradition of universities, power came from the bottom up. Sadly many Catholic universities, like the Institutional Church, still cling to the idea that it comes from the top down, that is that the Holy Spirit sits over the papal and presidential throne and fails to fly over us all. So long as we allow that illusion to persist by our passive submission to those thrones we will never succeed. I hope the students keep fighting and I hope we continue to support them but I hope they never forget what an overwhelming job they have and what great risks they have to take. “The Holy Ghost over the bent world broods….

[…] Indeed, all Catholic college administrators should heed Fr. Daly’s message. Readers of this blog will remember that the University of Notre Dame has also been seeking recognition of AllianceND, a gay-straight support group. Led by sophomore Alex Coccia, their efforts ended in an “incomplete” in the spring, when a decision was deferred until the fall. […]